Downloaded and installed the Toyota App. This seems the same idea as when I purchased a Generac Generator ten years ago. It notifies one running it's weekly 5 minute warm up every Wednesday morning at 10 and if my power goes out. I like that but it add's 50 dollars each year to my yearly maintenance bill. The Toyota Connected Services is similar. Notifies you when the oil change, filter is due and other services which one can subscribe to for a yearly fee when the trial period ends. The problem with this is when one has Apple Car Play or Android Auto playing the Connected Services becomes Disconnected Services and stays disconnected until those two apps are turned off. Conflict of ports. The part of Connected Services which I don't care for is privacy. It will send all your data to Japan, mph, how many hours you drove the car, where you went, if you observed the speed limit, and who knows what else. This morning I did a reset and bypassed the installation of Toyota's Connected Services prior to installing Apple Car Play.
I might be in the minority but so far I am liking the services it provides. I'm not a big fan of Android Auto or CarPlay and I actually prefer Drive Connect navigation. I had a Tesla Model 3 where you basically had no choice so maybe I just prefer the integrated options. I am not all that concerned about privacy issues as it really does not matter what you do these days, your data is going somewhere. Google and Apple might talk a big game about protecting your privacy but I assume they really don't. To each their own but I like the Connected Services..
Hey Raqball Thanks for your reply! Appreciate it. Unfortunately for some reason the 2023 Prius XLE does not come with Drive Connect Navigation and was disappointed to learn that. I wish the opportunity was available for me to try it. You are so correct about privacy issues. There are so many fronts to this privacy war. One decides the battlefront they wish to engage and go with it. Thanks again for your input.
I get that and IMO every Prius should come with a trial of Drive Connect.. Even if it were only for 30 days it would give owners a chance to try it out before committing to $15 a month.. With my Model 3 I paid $10 a month for the premium connectivity so $15 a month to Toyota would / does not really bother me. I understand that not everyone wants to add another monthly subscription service on top of all the ones most people already spring for. I personally like Drive Connect (so far - only had the car a few days) and prefer it over the free options like Android Auto or Apple CarPlay..
Hammersmith posted this link to the 2023 services list, and it seems to indicate that Drive Connect is available on the XLE and standard on the Limited. Or am I misreading the chart? https://www.toyota.com/content/dam/toyota/audio-multimedia/pdf/new/MY23_Connected_Services_and_Audio_Multimedia_features-Applicability.pdf
I think they mean they don't get the free trial. They must have the 8" screen. It's still available to them if they want to pay, but they don't get the free 1-year trial that the 12.3" screen comes with.
UPDATE My Prius DOES come with Drive Connect. On three occasions Toyota advised me my vehicle lacks the hardware to implement Drive Connect. Few months later I called again and this time I was told it does have the capacity for Drive Connect and the feature was turned on. Go figure. However after using it for three weeks I am seriously thinking of disconnecting ALL Service Connections due to the amount of my private data being forwarded to Toyota.
I'm only signed up for the free 10yr trials of Safety Connect and Service Connect but I have the same privacy concerns. I signed up because the car has no spare tire and Safety Connect has a Roadside Assistance feature. Then, upon reading the details I found that their tire service involves replacing a flat with "your inflated spare", which doesn't exist.
I have had AAA, Triple A, for 20 years and the same here regarding the lack of a spare tire. You are further ahead going with Triple A than Service Connect.
Last evening another Toyota update arrived on my APP and I declined to give consent to their intrusion on my privacy. When doing so they expressed the need for this information for the Services to work but reading the Privacy Agreement I disagree. It states the my data is given or sold to third parties. Sure they give you two products "free" for ten years. Toyota wants you to become reliant on them. I have done well for the past 55 years of driving without the need of this digital revolution. But I do enjoy and have no regrets purchasing my 2023 Prius XLE. But it came as a shock that the vehicle did not come with a spare wheel and tire. Why would Toyota put a 75 year old man in a position like that without notification. But they did! I did not fail to do due diligence. Toyota failed me, their loyal customer.
Hmm, when I did my due diligence, I knew going in the Prius did not have a spare tire. I bought it anyway so I guess I put myself in this position.
On the tire issue, I was concerned for a while until I realized that in the 20+ years I have had Prii, I have never had a flat tire. I think it may not be an issue.
I have had a similar experience. I think the last time I had to change out a flat tire was in 1997. But still, I think it's better to prepared to deal with it if it ever happens, especially if the flat is due to damage on the sidewall.
You, of course are right. It is always better to be prepared. My father taught me to change tires on his '57 coral Chevy back in the mid 1960's, and it served me well while I was in college. I honestly don't think I could change a tire now (shoulder surgery and age), and I understand the repair kit can fix about anything but a blowout or sidewall damage. I'm willing to take the chance.
Good Luck fixing that tire with a "repair kit" on a highway with tractor trailers moving at 70MPH. Or maybe you were thinking the flat would occur on a country road no one travels?
I spent my first 25 years of driving, without worrying about a spare tire. I've spent the last 12 years as a field service rep. clocking-in close to 50K miles a year. I get to new car every 18-24 months. My first road flat was in the middle of no where, no cell service - actually I could see a farm house way off on the horizon. Took a half hour to pull all the service/test equipment out of the trunk to get to the spare. I said a prayer, before unloading the trunk because I didn't check for it when I got this car from the dealership. When I got to it, it was there and fully inflated. When I got back into cell range - you guess it, phone began ringing off the hook along with three dozen MMS. I guess my company saw me heading into the dead-zone and was wondering if someone should go looking for my bones.... Probably more concerned for the expensive equipment I was carrying, than to find me... Ante Technology Great!!!!!!!
